Deck 8: Organizing Work

Question 1

Adam Smith argued that it was more efficient to have each employee make the entire object individually than it was to divide the different tasks required to make an object.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The scalar principle implies that there should be no shortcuts in a scalar chain.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

According to the parity principle,management should not delegate authority to subordinates.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

In performing a job with narrow scope,an employee performs many operations and repeats the cycle rarely.

Question 5

The informal organization refers to the associated groupings of people working outside the formal organization.

Question 6

Highly successful organizations generally achieve a high level of synergy as a result of the manner in which they are organized.

Question 7

The informal organization does not have a structure.

Question 8

An organization is never totally centralized or totally decentralized.

Question 9

The more authority top management chooses to delegate,the more conical the scope of authority funnel becomes.

Question 10

The more physically dispersed subordinates are,the wider is the span of management.

Question 11

Relatively large volume of work is a requisite for successful use of division of labor.

Question 12

Authority is one source of power for a manager.

Question 13

Organizations that appear to be very similar can experience very different levels of performance due to the synergy resulting from their organizational structures.

Question 14

Vertical division of labor is based on specialization of work.

Question 15

The span of management refers to the number of managers a subordinate can effectively report to.

Question 16

Companies with a high degree of employee involvement and empowerment follow the formal theory of authority.

Question 17

The major problem with horizontal division of labor is that it can result in job boredom and even degradation of the employee.

Question 18

The tapered concept of authority states that the breadth and scope of authority become more limited as one descends the scalar chain.

Question 19

Micromanaging is a problem that occurs when superiors make everyday decisions that they have delegated to subordinates.

Question 20

Job depth refers to the number of different types of operations performed.

Question 21

_____ occurs when individuals or groups work together to produce a whole greater than the sum of the parts.

A) Synergism
B) Standardization
C) Diversification
D) Differentiation
E) Centralization

Question 22

Centralization or decentralization of an organization is usually reflected by the numbers and kinds of decisions made by the lower levels of management.

Question 23

Some state and local laws restrict what work can be done at home.

Question 24

Which of the following is a disadvantage of horizontal division of labor?

A) More skills are required per person.
B) The skills required for selection or training purposes are difficult to supply.
C) Efficiency and quality of work will decrease when each worker's task is specialized.
D) It results in job boredom and degradation of the employee.
E) It results in reduced conformity in the final product.

Question 25

_____ ensure(s)the successful use of division of labor.

A) Small volume of work
B) Constantly changing production technology
C) Varying product design
D) Stability in the quality of raw materials
E) Encouraging multiple skills among employees

Question 26

To help implement empowerment,organizational units should be made smaller and less dependent on other units for decision making.

Question 27

Which of the following is true of vertical division of labor?

A) It is based on specialization of work.
B) It is based on the establishment of lines of authority.
C) It restricts the flow of communication within the organization.
D) It is uniform across all companies.
E) Automobile assembly line is an example of vertical division of labor.

Question 28

Accountability for the attainment of objectives,the use of resources,and the adherence to organizational policy is known as _____.

A) power
B) authority
C) responsibility
D) empowerment
E) accountability

Question 29

The process of organizing involves _____.

A) separating activities
B) attaining individual objectives
C) division of labor
D) restricting group work
E) abolishing lines of authority

Question 30

For successful empowerment,employees must be encouraged to do things the way they have always been done.

Question 31

Which of the following is true of authority?

A) It can be viewed as power derived from the rights that come with a position.
B) It is independent of limitations in the form of laws, politics, or social attitudes.
C) The degree of authority with the top management increases with increasing decentralization.
D) When lines of authority are established, it results in horizontal division of labor.
E) Pushing authority down the organization to lower levels of management results in customer dissatisfaction.

Question 32

Flextime results in increasing absenteeism and tardiness among employees.

Question 33

Job rotation is a concept whereby two or more part-time employees perform a job that would normally be held by one full-time employee.

Question 34

The acceptance theory of authority was outlined by _____.

A) Mary Parker Follett
B) Henri Fayol
C) Frederick Taylor
D) Michael Porter
E) Peter Drucker

Question 35

Flexible working hours allow employees to choose when they start and end their workday with no limits specified.

Question 36

The trend in today's organizations is toward more centralization.

Question 37

Which among the following refers to the freedom of employees to plan and organize their own work?

A) Job specialization
B) Job depth
C) Job sharing
D) Job enrichment
E) Job rotation

Question 38

Self-managed work teams consist of employees who accomplish tasks within their area of responsibility without direct supervision.

Question 39

With empowerment,employees are allowed to bend rules to do whatever they have to do to take care of their customers.

Question 40

To reduce the boredom resulting from horizontal division of labor,organizations should _____.

A) narrow down the scope of the job
B) avoid job rotation
C) discourage cross training
D) balance job simplification with job depth
E) encourage specialization

Question 41

Which of the following is true of exception principle?

A) Managers should concentrate their efforts on routine matters.
B) The exception principle can be hard to comply with when subordinates are afraid to make a decision.
C) It is the exact opposite of parity principle.
D) Managers should adopt micromanaging.
E) It states that in certain exceptions a subordinate can have more than one immediate manager.

Question 42

Which of the following states that an employee should have one,and only one,immediate manager?

A) The exception principle
B) The parity principle
C) The scalar principle
D) The unity of command principle
E) The tapered concept of authority

Question 43

_____ refers to the number of subordinates a manager can effectively manage.

A) Chain of command
B) Job depth
C) Span of control
D) Micromanaging
E) Job scope

Question 44

Companies that adopt the acceptance theory of authority _____.

A) give more prominence to leaders than followers
B) allow employees to reject a manager's command
C) show low degree of responsibility and accountability
D) discourage mutual support between labor and management
E) restrict subordinates' participation in determining lines of authority

Question 45

Span of management shortens _____.

A) when an organization adopts a flat structure
B) when subordinates are geographically close
C) when jobs are complex
D) when subordinates are highly qualified
E) when the organization has an organic structure

Question 46

Which of the following is true of empowerment?

A) Managers lack confidence in the ability of employees to perform at high levels.
B) Employees fail to accept personal responsibility for their work.
C) Employees cannot bend the rules to do whatever they have to do to take care of the customer.
D) Employees demonstrate more initiative and perseverance in pursuing organizational goals.
E) Senior managers decide who gets what information.

Question 47

Which among the following state that managers should concentrate their efforts on matters that deviate significantly from normal and let subordinates handle routine matters?

A) Acceptance theory
B) Span of management
C) The tapered concept of authority
D) Management by exception
E) Parity principle

Question 48

According to V.A.Graicunas and Lyndall Urwick,the upper limit of span of management should be _____.

A) twelve
B) six
C) three
D) ten
E) eight

Question 49

_____ is low in decentralized organizations.

A) Employee empowerment
B) Control over employees
C) Delegation of authority by top management
D) Flexibility in decision making
E) Speed of decision making

Question 50

Which of the following hinders decentralization?

A) Formation of self-directed work teams
B) Micromanaging by managers
C) Employee involvement in decision-making process
D) Limited number of hard rules
E) Smaller and less dependent organizational units

Question 51

Which of the following is true about the parity principle?

A) Management should not delegate authority to subordinates.
B) Subordinates should accept responsibility for those areas outside their authority.
C) Pushing authority down the organization leads to dissatisfaction among the customers.
D) The frequency of checks to ensure that things are going as planned, should be decided by the delegating manager and the affected employees.
E) The frequency of checks to ensure that things are going as planned, should be kept relatively high.

Question 52

_____ is a form of decentralization that involves giving subordinates substantial authority to make decisions.

A) Employee empowerment
B) Employee engagement
C) Scalar process
D) Employee retention
E) Micromanagement

Question 53

_____ facilitate(s)empowerment in an organization.

A) Centralization
B) Strong managerial control
C) Confidence in the ability of employees
D) Large organizational units
E) Large number of hard rules

Question 54

Which among the following principles states that authority in the organization flows through the chain of managers one link at a time,ranging from the highest to the lowest ranks?

A) Scalar principle
B) Span of control
C) Acceptance theory of authority
D) Parity principle
E) Exception principle

Question 55

Which of the following is true of decentralization?

A) The less conical the (scope of authority) funnel, the more centralized an organization.
B) Executives are burdened with time-consuming detail work.
C) It results in low morale among employees of lower levels management.
D) Duplication of effort is reduced in decentralization.
E) It allows for more flexibility and quicker decisions and actions.

Question 56

Which of the following is true of the scalar principle?

A) The scalar process implies that there should be no shortcuts.
B) It is also called unity of command.
C) It refers to the number of subordinates a manager can effectively manage.
D) It states that authority in the organization flows through the chain of managers one link at a time.
E) Circumventing the scalar principle facilitates transfer of relevant information.

Question 57

Which of the following is true of acceptance theory of authority?

A) It is a traditional view of authority.
B) According to this view, people hold authority because they occupy a certain position.
C) It advocates that subordinates are merely passive recipients in determining the line of authority.
D) This theory is recognized by companies that have a high degree of employee involvement and accountability.
E) This theory was proposed by Herbert Engel.

Question 58

Which of the following statements is true about the tapered concept of authority?

A) The breadth and scope of authority widens as one descends the scalar chain.
B) The more authority top management chooses to delegate, the more conical the scope of authority funnel becomes.
C) The more conical the scope of authority funnel, the more decentralized is an organization.
D) As the kinds of decisions made by the lower levels of management decreases, the degree of decentralization increases.
E))Organizations are associated along a continuum ranging from highly centralized to highly decentralized.

Question 59

Span of control lengthens when _____.

A) subordinates are capable of working independently
B) managers need to closely supervise work processes
C) subordinates are geographically dispersed
D) a job is complex in terms of job scope and job depth
E) an organization adopts a tall organization structure

Question 60

Which of the following is true of centralized organizations?

A) The scope of authority funnel is not conical.
B) The control over employees is low.
C) The degree of authority delegated by top management is low.
D) Employees are highly empowered.
E) The top executives are relieved from time-consuming detail work.

Question 61

What are self-managed work teams?

Question 62

What are the advantages of organizing?

Question 63

_____ are work units without a frontline manager and empowered to control their own work.

A) Centralized work teams
B) Micromanaging teams
C) Self-directed work teams
D) Strategic business units
E) Focus groups

Question 64

Discuss any three practices that are growing in popularity among organizations.

Question 65

What is meant by formal theory of authority?

Question 66

Which of the following is a disadvantage of telecommuting?

A) Higher employee turnover
B) Increased travel time and inability to avoid rush hours
C) Insurance concerns related to safety of employees working from home
D) Inability of employees to work flexible hours
E) Higher real estate costs for employers

Question 67

Which of the following is a practice that is relatively growing out of popularity at the workplace?

A) Empowerment
B) Telecommuting
C) Job sharing
D) Self-directed work team
E) Centralization

Question 68

What are the advantages of organizations being more decentralized?

Question 69

______ is the term used to denote the practice of working at home,being able to interact with the office while traveling,or working at a satellite office.

A) Flextime
B) Job rotation
C) Telecommuting
D) Job sharing
E) Empowerment

Question 70

What are the two requirements for the successful use of division of labor?

Question 71

Flextime causes problems related to _____.

A) communication and coordination for managers
B) employee recruitment
C) employee retention
D) employee absenteeism
E) accommodating different lifestyles and schedules

Question 72

Which of the following is true about self-managed work teams?

A) They are teams of employees who accomplish tasks outside their area of responsibility.
B) Their use has reduced dramatically over the last several years.
C) They accomplish tasks without direct supervision.
D) They refrain from making selection decisions of new members into the work unit.
E) They promote centralization in an organization.

Question 73

Discuss the steps involved in the delegation process.

Question 74

Which of the following is true of flextime?

A) It allows employees to choose when they start and end their workday without any limits.
B) It restricts employees from varying the hours worked each day.
C) It makes it difficult to retain hard-to-find qualified employees.
D) It allows employees to accommodate different lifestyles and schedules.
E) It lowers the productivity of employees and increases absenteeism and tardiness.

Question 75

What are the advantages of horizontal division of labor?

Question 76

_____ is a concept whereby two or more part-time employees perform a job that would normally be held by one full-time employee.

A) Telecommuting
B) Flextime
C) Job sharing
D) Unity of command
E) Empowerment

Question 77

Outline some of the factors that affect the span of management.

Question 78

What are the four elements that allow empowerment to take root and thrive?

Question 79

_____ allows employees to choose,within certain limits,when they start and end their workday.

A) Flextime
B) Overtime
C) Real time
D) Part-time
E) Lead time

Question 80

Which among the following is especially attractive to people who want to work but not full-time?

A) Job sharing
B) Job rotation
C) Job enrichment
D) Job depth
E) Job enlargement